wheelgrabber

Based upon forum recommendations I purchased Schwalbe Marathon 700c x 25c. My touring rig is a 2007 Specialized Sequoia. I normally ride 23c all condition slicks. I requested some info about tread, because I need to tour on about 150 miles of unpaved roads mixded with 400 miles of paved.

I went for a ride this afternoon with the rig fully loaded with 2 rear panniers. We have plenty of unpaved 10 minutes from our house in South Australia. I was zipping up and down decent hills with no problem what so ever. 20 miles and hour on the flats as if they were paved.

These tires are magic. I was a bit concerned about the width, but it doesn't make a difference.
I highly recommend these tires for any touring.

If I take a spill I will not blame it on the tires....

nancyj

Glad to hear the report - I am looking at a pair right now that will go on my old bike this weekend. Got them for the wire bead (old hookless rim clinchers) ... size, and wide range allowable inflation pressures . They look incredibly durable. Not light but I think they may outlive me

sonatageek

Heavy but tough. I have about 6000 miles on a set and no flats and still a bit of tread left.

staehpj1

Are they plain Marathons or Marathon Pluses?

I run the regular Marathons on my folding bike and have no complaints, but don't find them to be particularly special.

The Marathon Pluses are tough as nails but weigh double what many other touring tires do. The weight is enough to put me off for touring, but they are great for commuting on glass strewn roads. They also have a dead feeling ride. I ran them for a few hundred miles and disliked them enough that I took them off. OTOH, my daughter commutes on them and loves them, so YMMV.

vik 

+1 - I took the stock Marathons off several bikes and sold them...they aren't great tires...I wouldn't run them unless I really had no other option.

iforgotmename

I have the marathon supremes and marathon winters and they are great tires. Their customer service is also very helpful and second to none.

vik 

Schwalbe definitely makes some great tires...I love my XRs...I've had excellent customers service as well...

aggri1

I used Marathon Plus ATB tyres for a long time. They didn't hold the road well when you leaned the bike over in curves, but I did 8000km with not a single puncture. I'm very happy with them. They've probably got another few thousand km in them.

Since, I've got Marathon Plus tyres in 700x ... 42mm I think. Great. I was really happy with these riding around central Europe (where it rains all the time), both on sealed roads and on gravel/dirt paths. Now, they're great commuting tyres.

They are all somewhat heavy, but I don't care about that anyway.

Cheers, A.

badamsjr

I was looking for a relatively high-pressure 26x1.5 tire, and found the Schwalbe Marathons rated at 100psi, and decided to try them. So far, they are great--1200mi with no punctures, and roll pretty good, considering loads involved.

JeanM

About the Supreme: they are great on the pavement, they don't mind the rain, they are comfortable, in big sizes at least. If big they'll float on gravel but they have no grip there for the curves, uphill and in acceleration. In mud they can betray you at any unexpected moment.

Excellent for pavement, puncture protection but only for very occasional off-roading.

jeveretts

I have always been a huge fan of Continental tires, specifically Travel Contacts. I was thinking about trying out some Schwalbe's though. Anybody know if they have something like the Travel Contact with a little corner tread but a fast rolling center?

iforgotmename

I took my supremes on a 87 mile ride last week with most of my mileage being on a trail that varied from crushed limestone to areas of larger #57 gravel. They handled well and the ride was very comfortable(26x1.6) They are semi slicks and behave as semi slicks, if one wants to do a lot of offroading I believe a different tire is in order. o